Choices, Part 2

Back in September I wrote about the demise of First Hill’s M Street Grocery, speculating that it had been done in (indirectly) by parking requirements. I can’t help but wonder if Belltown’s Local 360 Mercantile suffered the same fate. The Mercantile, attached to the restaurant by the same name, was a neat little shop and I liked everything we bought there. The store was a great little European-style grocer. All the basics, all top-quality.

Now, getting into the grocery business is hard and the margins are minimal. But is it such a stretch to think that the massive Whole Foods just 7 blocks away, with its huge, government-mandated parking garage, made it impossible for the Mercantile to survive?

Update: Joshua in the comments points out that the garage is not, in fact, government mandated. I think the point still stands.

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